What started out a a facility for training Olympic athletes, the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center makes a wonderful addition to the Chula Vista community. Funding for the $65 million facility was raised by the San Diego National Sports Training Foundation and a land grant from Eastlake developers.
As of January 2017, the training center is owned by the City of Chula Vista, and has been renamed Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center. The United States Olympic& Paralympic Committee will continue funding athlete programming at the center at least through 2020.
The Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center (CVTC) launched on Jan. 1, 2017, under new ownership and operation. Ownership of the former Chula Vista Olympic Training Center was transferred to the City of Chula Vista from the United States Olympic Committee. Following a thorough application and vetting process, Point Loma Trust was selected by the City of Chula Vista to operate the training center. Point Loma Trust has established Elite Athlete Services as the effective organization for day-to-day operations.
In addition to maintaining the facility as an Olympic Training Center for both Olympians and Para-Olympians, The City of Chula Vista will use the facility for additional usage by international, college, development and youth teams for tournaments and camps as well as corporate conference training. Priority will be given to the elite athletes and their training at all times.
The 150-acre campus features sport venues and support facilities for eight Olympic sports: archery, canoe/kayak, cycling, field hockey, rowing, soccer, softball and track & field. In June 1995, the training center, then known as ARCO Training Center for sponsorship reasons, was open.
Over the years more facilities, such as beach volleyball courts and a BMX track, were added. The Chula Vista center is also home to the annual SoCal Showdown, a national-level archery tournament that attracts archers from around the country to compete in a several day competition consisting of qualifications and eliminations.